


The Freaks

by connormurphy_fangirl (hamburr_fangirl)



Category: Dear Evan Hansen - Pasek & Paul/Levenson
Genre: Alternate Universe - Boarding School, Angst with a Happy Ending, Anxiety, Depression, Falling In Love, Flowers, Idiots in Love, Isolation, Loneliness, Lonely Connor Murphy, M/M, Mental Health Issues, Mythical Beings & Creatures, Nymph Evan Hansen, Nymphs & Dryads, Psychic Abilities, Second Sight - Freeform, Superpowers, Telekinesis, Telepathy
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-10-31
Updated: 2018-10-31
Packaged: 2019-08-04 13:28:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,951
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16347581
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hamburr_fangirl/pseuds/connormurphy_fangirl
Summary: It was just Evan's luck that he ended up developing a gift. Despite having hidden it for two years, the government have finally come for him and now he has go to a school built specifically for people like him. Taken from his mother and the only home he knew, he's shoved into a world of the super-powered. But there was something off about this new boarding school. For starters, who was that strange boy that everyone seemed terrified of?Connor hated his gifts. Why did he have to go and develop not one, not two, but three fucking gifts? He just wanted to be a normal kid, but he was trapped, stuck with this curse. The government claimed he was too dangerous to be out in public. If he were among the other students, he might hurt one of them. Hell, he could probably kill them. It was much easier to shove him in a room and leave him there, with only handlers for human contact. After being in the claws of the government for so many years, he was done. He wanted out.





	The Freaks

The car ride was anything but quiet. Evan could hear the engine roaring, the air whizzing by, and his own nervous tapping. He glanced to the front of the car. An agent drove, a blank, no-nonsense look on her face. She wore all black and Evan could see a gun on her belt. Whether that gun was filled with actual bullets, he didn't know. It was clear, however, that the agent wouldn't hesitate to shoot should he step out of line.

His mother sat in the passenger seat. She was wringing her hands together and kept tucking her hair behind her ear. Both nervous habits of hers. She was feeling just as nervous as he was. He chewed his lip and looked out the window. He wasn't sure where they were. The boarding school he was being taken to was top secret. For the safety of the citizens, the government claimed. They couldn't have peculiars running around wrecking havoc, could they?

Ivy curled around Evan's wrist and he gently stroked a leaf. The ivy was a near constant companion. Ever since he was fourteen, ivy had sprouted from his skin. It wrapped around his body, squeezing and squeezing.

A perfect embodiment of his anxiety.

How he had hidden his peculiarity for so many years was beyond him.

It was still a shock to him, knowing he was part of the two percent that had these strange powers that were dubbed peculiarities. Though, his peculiarity was a bit boring. Being able to sprout plants from your skin that match your current emotion was nothing to brag about. Often, the plants he grew were small and didn't stray far from his body. Really, he didn't see a reason for going to this fancy school. He wasn't a danger to society. He was harmless.

But the government didn't feel the same. The second they caught wind of his peculiarity, an agent had shown up at his door and told him he had three days to say goodbye to everyone and everything he knew.

The appearance of the agent overly surprised neither him nor his mother. Both had been expecting it for some time. Still, there were a lot of tears those three days. Evan desperately didn't want to abandon the normalcy of his life and his mother didn't want to let him go. Regulations for family members of peculiars were that they could only have one phone call a day and the peculiar could only go home for Christmas.

Evan's stomach turned and bile rose in his throat at the thought of his mother being alone in their house. She was still scarred from when his father left, how was she going to handle losing her only son too?

The ivy winded up his neck, leaves brushed his chin. He caught his mother's gaze in the mirror and quickly looked away.

"Honey," she said, twisting back and placing her hand on his knee. "You are going to be fine. It's just boarding school."

Evan's hands balled into fists. "It's n-not just boarding school." He said. "It's supposed to be my new home mom." The ivy began to wilt, its leaves falling and sprinkling the floor. "They're taking me away from you."

His mother's eyes softened, and she squeezed his knee. "It's all right honey, we'll see each other every Christmas and we can always talk on the phone."

Evan scowled, and a monkshood appeared just behind his ear. He yanked the flower off and winced at the sharp pain. "It's not the same." He said.

"It's for the best Evan." His mother said. "The school will help you control your peculiarity. Controlling your plants will be very useful in the future."

"Make me seem like less of a freak you mean," Evan mumbled.

"Evan-"

Evan ignored her and stared stormily out the window. He couldn't understand why she wasn't more upset. He was being taken away from her! Her only son was about to disappear for months, maybe even forever. Maybe she was thankful he was being sent away. Now she wouldn't have to constantly worry about him, not to mention all the medication she struggled to pay for.

He slumped in his seat. Maybe him moving away was for the best. His mother would be free to date. Work normal hours and take whatever classes she wanted. Most of her stress would be gone nowthat she didn't have to worry about his peculiarity being discovered and his meds.

He nodded to himself. Yes, this was the best possible option.

The rest of the ride was spent in total silence. Neither Evan nor his mother attempted conversation and Miss No Nonsense definitely wasn't a conversationalist. The prairies faded away, replaced with fields of roses and sunflowers. Evan couldn't stop staring at the bright flowers. They were fully bloomed and had the most vibrant colors he had ever seen. He couldn't contain his awe. They were gorgeous.

Before Evan knew what was happening, the agent took a sharp turn, sending him flying into the door. He yelped when his elbow slammed into the handle. Yup, that would definitely leave a bruise. The car slowed to a stop, and without another word, the agent exited the car and went to the trunk. His mother turned to him, an unsure smile on her face.

"I suppose we're here." She said and climbed out of the car. Evan exited to the car and his breath rushed away from him. The building in front of him was like nothing he'd ever seen. It looked like a massive castle. Ivy crawled up the sides of the faded grey brick and shrubs decorated the front. It was a truly magnificent building.

"Moxie!" A voice shriek. The agent stiffened and Evan's eyes widened when a smaller figure launched itself at her.

The agent sighed and put the bags down, patting the person clinging to her on the head.

"Hello, Jul. I thought you were supposed to stay inside?"

The person raised their head and grinned. Beside him, Evan's mother took in a sharp breath. He could understand why. Jul had razor-sharp teeth along with black and yellow eyes.

"Mr. Hansen, this is Jul." The agent said formally, gently tugging the strange person down. "She will show you to your room."

"Hiya!" Jul chirped. "What're you?" She climbed down from the agent and walked around Evan, who held very still during the inspection.

"Ooh, you're an interesting one." She purred. She leaned forward and Evan couldn't help but feel unsettled when those bright eyes locked on his. "A nymph, eh?"

"I-I, um, I suppose?"

"Neat!" Jul grinned. "Can't say I remember the last time we had a nymph here."

"Jul here has the peculiarity demon. That's what caused her unsettling appearance as well as her ability to instantly know what type of peculiarity a person has." The agent put her hand on Jul's shoulder, who practically preened at the attention. "She's an invaluable asset here at S.P."

"Aww, thank you Moxie." Jul clapped her hands together. "Anyway, say your goodbyes. Mr. Hansen here has to be in the dining hall by six."

"Oh! Well, okay." His mother smiled, but it was a staged one. Evan could see the pain in her eyes, the heartbreak. She turned to him with that sad smile and engulfed him in a hug.

"Be safe, sweetheart." She murmured, squeezing hard. Evan squeezed her back and took a deep breath of her scent. The familiar scent of pine from her perfume brought up a bubbling pile of emotions that Evan wasn't ready to handle.

"I will mum." He said. After a few more seconds, she pulled away and kissed his forehead. Her hands moved to his shoulders, and she squeezed.

"I love you."

Evan smiled and ignored the glistening of her eyes. "I love you too. I'll call you?"

"As often as you can."

The agent stepped forward and with one last quick hug, his mother returned to the car. Evan stayed put, watching as the car drove off with the only family he had left. He flinched when a hand landed on his shoulder.

"Let's go, Mr. Hansen," Jul said gently.

"Just call me Evan."

Jul led him into the school, explaining while she went. "Now, this place has a few rules." She said. Evan looked around, admiring the old brick. It was a lovely building. With the potted plants, colorful paintings and soft rugs it almost seemed homey. "First and most important, peculiars are not allowed off the campus without a supervisor. If your peculiarity is especially strong and unpredictable, we also have bracelets that you are required to wear. Two weeks home during Christmas is the only exception to these rules."

She stopped in front of a painting that showed a kind looking man, smiling widely into the camera. "This is Principal Howard. He runs the entire school. Any concerns with other students or teachers, you go straight to him." She smiled. "We try to make S.P as normal as possible, you know?"

Evan nodded and gripped his suitcase a little tighter.

Jul held out her two of her fingers. "Rule number two! Alcohol or any intoxicating substances are strictly prohibited. A drunk peculiar is a dangerous peculiar. We've had far too many incidents with intoxicated students."

She grabbed his hand and yanked him forward. "This is the dining hall!" She flung two double doors open. On the other side was a massive room with ten long tables. The tables themselves were long and wide. Each could easily fit twenty to thirty people. "This is where you will eat your meals every day. While we do require students to come down and get their food, you are allowed to take it back to your room to eat. We also have monthly trips put into a small town nearby. You're given an allowance based on good behavior. There you may buy anything you wish. However, bad behavior will cut down your allowance. If worse comes to worse, you will not be allowed on the trip."

Jul clapped her hands together and grinned at him. He eyed her sharp teeth warily.

"That's about it. Anyway, I'll show you to your room now."

They ended up walking up three flights of stairs before they reached his room.

"Here ya go!" Jul said. She pulled out a key and unlocked the door. He stepped into his room and looked around. It was a simple space. Not too small, it was just a bit bigger than Evan's bedroom back home. There was a bookcase pushed behind the door and there were about five textbooks sitting on one shelf.

"You can take books out from the library," Jul added. "You just have to return them in two months. You have a week to return it if someone places a hold."

Evan just nodded and trailed his fingers across the titles before moving on to the closet. Opening it up revealed a handful of hangers and four-story dresser.

"If you need any more hangers, let a teacher know," Jul said.

Evan closed the closet and went to investigate the desk. It had three drawers and a decent amount of desk space. He rolled his suitcase up to his bed and flopped down.

Jul smiled at him and handed him the room key. "I'll see you around Evan." she chirped. "I hope you have a good experience here at School for the Peculiar."

Evan gave her a stiff wave and watched as she shut the door with a soft click. A couple of mushrooms popped up in his thighs.

Sitting in the quiet of his room, Evan had never felt more lonely.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Flower Meanings:
> 
> Ivy - Anxiety  
> Dead Plants - Sadness  
> Monkshood - Anger  
> Fungus/Mushrooms - Loneliness

**Author's Note:**

> MASSIVE thanks to my amazing beta [so-many-fandoms-ohmy](https://so-many-fandoms-ohmy.tumblr.com/), [saltiestandthirtiestgem](and%20<a%20href=).
> 
> Come talk to me on my Tumblr [connormurphyfangirl](https://connormurphyfangirl.tumblr.com)!
> 
> Here's some amazing art done by [creatoranimator](https://creatoranimator.tumblr.com)!
> 
>  
> 
> [Nymph Evan](https://creatoranimator.tumblr.com/post/178209977125/i-drew-this-for-connormurphyfangirl-d)
> 
>  
> 
> [Connor](https://creatoranimator.tumblr.com/post/178265575630/connormurphyfangirl-hey-look-i-drew-another-thing)


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